Financial FAQ Materials

4 Routes To Eliminate Debt From Your Credit Cards

Posted on Sunday, 15th November 2009 by admin

Eliminating your credit card debt is the first step toward being debt free. Our credit card debt is usually the highest interest rate debt we have and the most easily abused. Eliminating credit card debt puts more cash in your wallet every month, so you wonít need to use credit cards anymore. Todayís down economy has left more people feeling the strain of paying their credit card debt. Use these four tips to help you get out of credit card debt.

One good strategy is to take a second job, devoting all earnings to paying credit card debt. A few hours a week at a second job is enough to let you make larger credit card payments and put more cash in your pocket so that you donít have to rely on credit cards each month. Once the credit cards are paid off, you can quit the second job.

You can also get rid of your credit card debt through debt consolidation of credit card debt. Homeowners should consider a home equity loan because it will carry a lower interest rate than your credit cards and the interest will be tax deductible. Yo

Innovative Ways to Build Your Credit

Posted on Sunday, 15th November 2009 by admin

Get Rich Slowly has a great post this week entitled “How to Establish a Credit History Without Losing Your Shirt” and it focuses solely on secured credit cards. Basically, the credit line on a secured credit card is tied to a certain amount of cash collateral you put up. Unlike a debit card, this deposited money is not used for purchases or to pay down your balances. You still have to make monthly payments just like any other credit card, but if you default on a secured credit card, the card issuer doesn’t have to go through the trouble of harassing you via mail, phone and Madonna songs, they just keep your collateral. Because of the lower risk of losing money, credit card companies are much less selective when it comes to issuing secured credit cards than unsecured credit cards – which is good news for those of us with murky or nonexistent credit histories.

Secured credit cards are just one way to build your credit without sticking out your neck. I’d lik

Tags: Credit
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5 Ways to Find Yourself a Job

Posted on Sunday, 15th November 2009 by admin

When a bad economy hits, a lot of people suffer. Whether you lost your job, are “laid off”, or you think you may be loosing your job, you’re probably going under a lot of stress. Once stressful situations hit, it is always a good idea to have a back up plan or prepare yourself for what may come up in the future.

If you’re looking to find yourself a new job, or to get a second job, it may be hard right now. A bad economy is the worst time to look for a job simply because everyone is laying off their employees and/or they’re not hiring. Although, if you’re really in need of finding a new job, consider a few of these tips to find one easier!

5 Ways to Find Yourself a Job:

Newspaper – A great way to find a job that still works today is through the newspaper. The newspaper lists jobs that are available, gives you the job description, and will usually give you a contact number. If one sounds good to you, try calling to find out more information.

Ask around – Ask your friends and family members if they are hiring at their work, or if they know of any jobs that need some extra help. Sometimes the best way to find a job is through someone else.

Snagajob – Try going online to Snagajob.com. This website will ask for your zip code, and then will load all the jobs that are in your area. You can see all the different opportunities, jobs, and pay scales that are available.

JobFinder – Another great place to look is on JobFinder. The Internet is amazing because you can always find what you’re looking for if you look hard enough.

Apply – You can also just submit your applications to all the jobs that are hiring. Drive around, stop by, grab an application and fill them all out. Then the next day hand them in. Wait a few days and see if anyone has called back.

Finding a job in a bad economy isn’t easy to do, but it’s possible. Consider a few of these tips above to make your job searching easier and a quicker process!

Tags: Job
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TD Bank Renews Sponsorship to Save Philadelphia International Cycling Championships

Posted on Saturday, 14th November 2009 by admin

Even though cycling enthusiasts may be hanging up their bikes for the year, there is good news on the horizon for the cycling circuit, as TD Bank renews its place as the title sponsor of the Philadelphia International Championships after the famous 250-kilometer race was almost shut down due to the economic crisis.

Photo by jeremyhughes

A Hard Time to Find Sponsors

TD agreed to a three-year contract as the title sponsor of the event, making next years 26th race the TD Bank Philadelphia International Championships. The event has gone through 3 name changes in the last decade as many sponsors withdrew their support, causing the event staff to panic this year, especially when the city of Philadelphia annouced that the race would have to finance the $250,000 road closure costs itself this year.

Sponsorship is not the only problem that the event has faced due to the financial downturn.

Three buyers vying for solar thermal company Ausra

Posted on Saturday, 14th November 2009 by admin

Sunny skies are here for Ausra, the solar thermal company backed by Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures. The company is looking for a buyer, and it’s already talking to three, according to a report by Reuters. Everything is up for grabs, from a majority stake in the company to 100% of it, and the back-and-forth going on is at a “very aggressive level.”

The businesses looking to pick up Ausra are said to be global power generation conglomerates but haven’t been named yet. So, the clean energy company would be a way for one of them to diversify.

Ausra’s been around since 2006, when the venture capital community started to be drawn to the cleantech sector. In 2007, it picked up a hefty deal with PG&E (PCG), the California utility. So far, it’s raised $130 million in venture capital money, and it looks like an exit strategy is on the horizon. Ausra canceled the PG&E deal this month and sold the land associated with it to First Solar (FSLR), the biggest solar power company in the United States.

The talks for Ausra’s future have become incredibly serious. Read more…

Tags: Ausra, Solar Thermal, Solar Thermal Company, Thermal Company
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How Many Credit Cards Should You Have?

Posted on Saturday, 14th November 2009 by admin

So how many credit cards do you have in your wallet. Do yo have promises of better rates, lower fees, more airmiles or better perks causing your wallet to be full of cards and your mailbox full of better offers.

Most Americans carry five to ten cards while some have five times this amount. This is bound to cause havoc on your credit score, never mind being able to manage them.

So how many credit cards is enough. Whilst experts agree that there is no exact number it is more realistic to note how much you spend and more importantly how much you can pay off monthly. Credit agencies warn that the more cards you have, the bigger risk you have for debt and damaging your credit rating.

A good rule of thumb is to keep up to six and to make sure that they are the major ones, MasterCard, Visa, Discovery and American Express as they acceptable almost anywhere. It is most important to pay them regularly and on time to avoid any further charge and find a credit card with low interest rates.

Tags: Cards, Credit Cards
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